1862. 



THE ILLIN"OIS FAEMEE. 



291 



, , THB STBAWBEEET. .- 



This fruit has now become not only a luxury, 

 but a necessity, and the ease with which it is cul- 

 tivated has brought it within the reach of oven 

 the poorest class of our city population. 



It begins to ripen at Cobden, about the 15tli 

 of May, and in some seasons a few days earlier. 

 It is then in bloom in the neighborhood of Chica- 

 go. Being the first fresh fruit in market, it 

 commands a high price, say, from fifty to sixty 

 cents a quart ; bat this only eontinues a few days, 

 when the price is more reasonable. The grow- 

 ers of this fruit at obden must be at the ex- 

 pense of boxes and cases ; these cost a trifle over 

 one and a half cents a quart. After deducting 

 boxes, cases, freight and commission, the aver- 

 age nett receipt for the Cobden strawber- 

 ries is only ten cents per quart to the grower. At 

 Centralia and Tonti we understand the growers 

 received foil as much. At Champaign the whole- 

 sale price was not less than ten cents, while the 

 Chicago grower, selling to his customers direct* 

 saving commission and boxes, realized nearly as 

 good a price. Thus we see that after all, that at 

 all points the growers received the same nett re- 

 turns. These are facts. In the case of the Cob- 

 den growers, we have the returns of the largest 

 grower, of the sales from day to day. This, of 

 course, was at wholesale, the average being af- 

 ter deducting freight and commission, the first 

 lot of twenty-eight boxes, at 31 cents, the next 

 of 116 at 23 J cents, and running down to 6^ 

 cents. Of course they were retailed above this, 

 but next season the growers will put them up in 

 cases of six, twelve and sixteen quart boxes, and 

 they will be sold to consumers by the wholesale, 

 thus cutting off the petty dealer with his high 

 tariff. This will at once double the demand, for 

 where the grower sold by the case of thirty-twc 

 quarts at twenty-five cents per quart, the retail- 

 er sold by the single quart at thirty-five, and ev- 

 en forty cents. Under the new system, the con- 

 sumer can obtain his case of six quart boxes at 

 $1,50, whereas, he would pay $1,40 for four box- 

 es to the retailer. 



When the Chicago grower comes into market, 

 he can supply the consumer direct at such a low 

 rate that all can purchase. Now if he sold at 

 wholesale, and the retailer had his profit, the de- 

 mand would decrease just in proportion to the 

 added price ; but in this case, if the grower or 

 petty dealer wishes to keep them to supply his 

 customers, he must doit at a more nominal rate. 

 At the price at which the Cobden strawberries 



are sold to the consumer, the demand is limited 

 to the wealthy, and the great mass of the people 

 must forego them. But this will not be the case, 

 for the amount grown at Cobden by the year 

 1864 will be so large that the price must be re- 

 duced ; but this to the grower can be but a trifle 

 or his profit will be gone. The railroad compa- 

 ny cannot reduce the freight much, if any, below 

 the present, as they now take a car load of six 

 tons in the passenger train at $90, and small lots 

 at ^20 per ton. The reduction then must be 

 with the dealer, and the consumer must buy of 

 first hands, and by the case of six quarts, and if 

 these cases must be broken, let it be done at the 

 agency at a small cost, say, one or two cents per 

 box. There is no other way to protect the Cob- 

 den grower. Large quantities would in this 

 way go to the country. A persou could take his 

 case of six boxes under his buggy seat and they 

 \ would ride perfectly safe. Now he can do noth- 

 ing with them, and the high price compels him 

 to wait until his own farm may provide the covet- 

 ed luxury. 



Chicago is not the only point to be supplied, 

 but even Cincinnati, for at least ten days, will 

 purchase at Cobden and neighboring points. Ga- 

 lena will become a distributing point also.and thus 

 thousands of acres of this delicious fru't wiil be 

 grown among these romantic hills, to please the 

 taste and to give health and vigor to the North. 

 We have no fears that it will be overdone, or 

 that the price will fall below the cost of produc- 

 tion, but the profit to the petty dealer must be 

 dispensed with, and hereafter all growers South 

 of Monee will do well to make their arrangement 

 and purchases with a view of reaching the con- 

 sumer in the most direct way. When we come 

 to discuss the culture of tliis plant, and the mode 

 of marketing, we shall have more to say under 

 this head. 



GOOSEBSBBUS. 



This fruit, as yet, is but little known in our 

 market. The leng years spent tn proving that 

 the English gooseberries are a failure with us, 

 had well nigh blotted them out from the list of 

 summer fruits. The Houghton, American Eed, 

 Mountain, and other American seedling goose- 

 berries have proved hardy and productive, and 

 ^1, in a short time, fill an important place ia 

 the list of summer fruits. They do well along the 

 whole line above indicated. At Jonesboro they 

 are beginning to be largely grown for the North- 

 em markets. The first shipments in a green 

 state commence in May. 



